


True Friendship

by SarenAranthel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Rigel Black Series - murkeybluematter
Genre: Inspired by The Rigel Black Chronicles, Rigel Black Chronicles Masquerade 2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29231346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarenAranthel/pseuds/SarenAranthel
Summary: A visit to Diagon Alley turns out far different than Harriet Potter could have expected.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 59
Collections: Rigel Black Chronicles Masquerade 2021





	True Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic for the Masquerade event going in the Harry Get Some Sleep discord server. It takes place just after the events of Futile Facade 14 so spoilers for anyone who has not yet read it.

Harriet Potter sighed as she dusted herself after her trip through the floo. Truly she could understand her parents’ protectiveness as well as the slight distrust she could see in their eyes whenever they looked at her, but that did not make it hurt any less. She had lied to them for four years about what she was doing and where she was, helping Archie and ‘Rigel’ maintain the deception they had put together. Still, being trapped in the house with very little to do besides brew potions, train, and study whatever she could was getting rather tedious. Still, she had managed to wrangle an extra hour from James for this outing, and she was hoping to run into Leo again. They had not had nearly enough time to talk last time she had been here; she could not help a small flush of embarrassment at the thought she had wasted a lot of that time with her breakdown.

Aside from that conversation, there were a few things she wanted to do, not least of which ordering some more ingredients. It had only been two weeks since the last time she had been here, but being locked up at home had made her burn through her ingredients even faster than normal, which was saying something. And while James had loosened his restrictions slightly to allow her to visit some of the other places here, he had made her promise not to visit the lower alleys. That was a promise she was going to keep, not that she thought he would find out if she did not, but as much as she would have liked to see all her friends at the Dancing Phoenix, she was trying not to lie to her parents as much as possible. Whether to make up for her past and still ongoing deception, or to regain their trust faster even she did not know. Her feelings on the matter were rather jumbled.

She was so immersed in her thoughts that she almost did not notice a familiar face standing outside Tate’s Apothecary, arms crossed and eyes flickering over the normal crowd of people making their way through Diagon. By the time she saw who it was it was far to late to think of an escape route, as they had noticed her as well and were striding over. “Harry Potter, we need to talk,” Pansy said, her voice low and serious, enough so to make Harry slightly worried. She opened her mouth but Pansy cut her off before she could talk. “Not here.” Taking Harry’s hand, the blonde led the two of them through Diagon Alley.

Harry could not help but feel a bit relieved that she did not yet have to say anything. She was too afraid her voice would betray the roiling mass of emotions seeing one of her best friends from Hogwarts had evoked. It had hurt a lot, knowing that she was going to lose that friendship and could never regain it seeing as she could never be Rigel again. For one brief moment a portion of her mind entertained the thought of telling Pansy everything before she ruthlessly quashed it. Even if the other girl did not turn her in, that would still be placing far too great a burden on her shoulders. No, knowing the truth would be too dangerous, and she was not willing to do that to her friend.

Pansy only let go when they reached Fortescue’s, ordering ice cream for both of them before leading a slightly bemused Harry to a seat at one of the tables. Luckily, there were only a few other people there meaning the two could have a relatively private conversation.

For a moment the two sat in silence before Harry composed herself enough to trust herself to speak. “How did you find me?” she asked.

Pansy smiled. “I simply remembered your parents mentioning how much you were into potions. From there it was simply a matter of estimating how long it would be until you were allowed to leave the house and waiting for you at the apothecary. Really, you and Rigel are very much alike in that regard.”

The truth, far more so than Pansy could guess at the moment, and Harry did not feel like enlightening her. She had humored her friend’s little ambush, at first because she was too surprised to react and then because she did not want to offend the blonde, but now she just felt tired. “What do you want Pansy?” she asked bluntly.

Pansy glanced around, noting the lack of people close enough to listen in, but Harry still felt a few privacy charms rise up around them. She wondered for a moment how the other girl had cast them, then realized the blonde’s right hand was under the table, no doubt holding her wand. Pansy took a breath, no doubt wondering how best to approach the issue. “We know you were more involved than you would have most believe,” she started delicately.

Harry frowned, but she was not about to deny it, not to Pansy. Her friend was too smart to believe such an obvious lie. “Who is ‘we’?” she asked instead.

“Me and Draco, obviously,” the blonde replied primly. “It was easy enough to convince him of the fact, though since Rigel called in the life debt to make sure he would not be followed, it fell to me to follow up.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. Rigel is gone and he did not tell Archie or I where he went, safer for everyone that way,” Harry said after a moment.

Pansy leaned back slightly, a speculative look on her face. “But you know who he is.” It was a statement rather than a question.

“Why do you care so much?”

The blonde smiled slightly. “Rigel is our friend, I’m not about to let him get away with lying to us about something so big without a suitable apology.”

Harry did not know whether she wanted to laugh, cry, or both at the simple answer. She had been trying not to think about what her friends’ reactions would be to finding out not just that she was not the Black scion, but that she was actually a half-blood. Somehow she managed to keep a straight face despite the strong impulse, simply giving a small shrug. “I’m afraid I can’t help you. Even if I did know who he was, he would not want me to tell you.”

“You would know wouldn’t you?” Pansy replied, staring Harry right in the eyes. “After all, you are Rigel.” Harry barely managed to contain her surprise, but something must have shown because Pansy had a small, satisfied smile on her face. “I thought so, it made too much sense. Both potions prodigies, how close you were to someone you had allegedly met only a few years earlier.” She chuckled. “That is why Rigel was so confident speaking for you, he was you.”

A dozen possible retorts flashed through Harry’s head, denials, ways to keep the two of them separate, but in the end none of them passed her lips. For one, convincing Pansy would not be easy, not at all, and two she was just so tired of lying. So instead, she just gave a small shrug and a wry smile. “You got me. So, what now? I am sorry that the Rigel you knew was a lie, I’m sorry that I had to lie to people I considered friends for four years, but I’m not sorry that I lied.

“That’s where you are wrong,” Pansy retorted fiercely, leaning forward. “The Rigel we knew wasn’t a lie. She simply wasn’t who we thought she was.” She sat back, smiling slightly. “I’m actually relieved you were Rigel, it simplifies things a bit.”

Before Harry could say anything to that, she was surprised by Pansy standing up, stepping around the table, and pulling her up into a tight hug. “Don’t scare me like that,” she whispered, a slight sniffle hidden in her voice.

Harry was stunned, her arms returning the embrace without any conscious input. To her embarrassment, she could feel tears forming in her eyes, threatening to fall. “Pansy…I’m sorry,” she said softly.  
The blonde stepped back, releasing her friend, having composed herself. “I don’t know what is next, there is a nation wide manhunt going on for Rigel at the moment, but whatever happens I’m behind you.”

This time there was no stopping the tears which slid free, trailing down Harry’s cheeks. “Thank you Pansy,” she said, wondering how she could ever have doubted her friend even for a moment.


End file.
